Big spenders on lobbyists often work for government

4:58 p.m. EST, May 18, 2012|Aaron Deslatte, Capitol View

TALLAHASSEE – It's once again time to go gaga over the amount of cash Florida lobbyists are able to extract from corporations, interest groups and local governments seeking Capitol influence. The total for the first three months of 2012: a staggering $60.3 million.

That's the approximate fee total that legislative and executive branch lobbyists reported to the state this week. The amount can't be compared directly to last year's first quarter because this year's entire 60-day legislative session fell within the first quarter due to the stepped-up schedule caused by redistricting.

But it does help illuminate the cottage industry that surrounds Florida government. And many of the biggest spenders are also major vendors with the state.

Take HNTB Corp., the Kansas City-based engineering firm hoping to capitalize on the "public-private partnerships" for toll roads in Florida – a key piece of Gov. Rick Scott's vision for transportation expansion. The company is doing design work on the $1.8-billion Wekiva Parkway, worked on the now-defunct high-speed rail project that would have linked Orlando and Tampa and consults for the Florida Turnpike as well as expressway authorities in the Tampa and Miami areas.

The company, which has regional offices in Lake Mary, was paid $64 million in taxpayer money last year and has collected $29.2 million through the first half of this fiscal year. And with that has come lobbying expenditures.

HNTB paid lobbyists $380,000 in 2012, the third-highest of total for any company, as closed-door negotiations over the Wekiva Parkway between Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando; Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority officials; and Central Florida local governments nearly derailed during session.

AT&T, the telephone giant trying to survive in a wireless world, remained the top spender, with $1.6 million paid to 36 different firms. AT&T has more than $10 million in contracts with various state agencies this year, but their objective in Tallahassee wasn't selling phone-plans. The company – with the help of Verizon Communications and other telecoms -- won passage of tax changes that could save them between $35 million to $300 million a year in communications-services taxes.

GEO Group, the Boca Raton private prison management company, is another that has received $45 million in taxpayer dollars this year and spent $305,000 on lobbyists in the first quarter. GEO was one of two prison companies pushing to privatize South Florida prisons. The issue capsized in the Senate – but with Scott, House Republicans and incoming Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, on board, it is sure to re-surface next year.

Speaking of issues that will resurface, there's Malaysian-based Gentling, a new fish that has been a godsend to the lobbying crowd, throwing down $760,000 to 16 different firms as it tried in vain to win passage of a "destination casino" bill that would have allowed it to transform bayfront Miami into a Sunshine State version of Vegas.

Then there are local governments and public entities paying lobbyists. Think of it as taxpayer-funded lobbying by politicians of other politicians. The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority was the biggest spender among public entities – and the fourth-largest overall – at $380,000. The Palm Beach Sheriff's Office ($165,000) and the counties of Miami-Dade ($150,000) and Broward ($140,000) weren't far behind.

So, the next time you wonder why problems fester for years in Tallahassee, remind yourself how many people have financial interests in prolonging the fights.